Artist: Willie Nelson

Even though we're in the traditional post-NXNE lull, there are a ton of notable shows going on.  UK neo- The Heavy , the much-buzzed about Alabama Shakes , and the legendary Willie Nelson are all worth checking out.  The Jazz Fest kicks off on the weekend as well, with Mavis Staples and Sharon Jones among the notables. soul outfit Some folks (not me) will also be excited about a couple of shows from Rufus Wainwright . ...also this week: [...]

The Wild Feathers Premiere Video For "Hard Wind" on CMT Self Titled Album Out August 6th The Wild Feathers ' new video for "Hard Wind" recently premiered on CMT . The single is included on their self-titled, debut album, out August 6th. Watch the video below, here on BandWeblogs.com ! The Wild Feathers - "Hard Wind" video: The [...]

Nashville's The Wild Feathers have the blues rock thing down pat. They caught my attention at last year's SXSW, and since then, I've been patiently awaiting the release of their debut album. Looks like the wait's almost over. Paste just premiered The Wild Feathers' new track "Hard Wind" , an impassioned and vindicated track about "opening your eyes" and not looking back. Listen at the link or watch them perform the song live above. "Hard Wind" will be on The Wild Feathers' self-titled debut album, out August 6th via [...]

Nashville's The Wild Feathers have the blues rock thing down pat. They caught my attention at last year's SXSW, and since then, I've been patiently awaiting the release of their debut album. Looks like the wait's almost over. Paste just premiered The Wild Feathers' new track "Hard Wind" , an impassioned and vindicated track about "opening your eyes" and not looking back. Listen at the link or watch them perform the song live above. "Hard Wind" will be on The Wild Feathers' self-titled debut album, out August 6th via [...]

I always enjoy our 'special feature' posts - you know, like Anatomy Of A Song and Fantastic Foursome - because they're a change of pace from our usual stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with our regular posts, but I think it's good to have a breath of fresh air once in a while. With that in mind, I thought I'd inaugurate a new feature, one that might at first resemble Anatomy Of A Song, but has an important difference. I've been thinking about [...]

THE WILD FEATHERS HIT THE ROAD WITH WILLIE NELSON SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM OUT AUGUST 6, 2013 ON TOUR NOW WITH RYAN BINGHAM The Wild Feathers will be heading out with the legendary Willie Nelson this summer. The west coast run, which kicks off August 13th in Las Vegas, NV, will support the August 6th release of the band's self-titled debut album. First single "The Ceiling" is heading toward the Top 15 at AAA [...]

MS MR @ MHOW this month ( more by Toby Tennenbaum ) Montauk venue Surf Lodge 's 2013 free Summer Concert Series has an impressive line-up that kicked off Memorial Day Weekend with Theophilus London and Portugal. The Man, and continues this weekend with MS MR on Saturday (6/1). This year's slate includes Bear Mountain (6/8), Willie Nelson (6/9), Django Django (6/16), Ra Ra Riot (6/22), Phosphorescent (6/30), Blonde Redhead (7/13), Father John Misty [...]

The Wild Feathers will be heading out with the legendary Willie Nelson this summer. The west coast run, which kicks off August 13th in Las Vegas, NV, will support the August 6th release of the band's self-titled debut album. First single "The Ceiling" is heading toward the Top 15 at AAA radio. Watch the video for the "The Ceiling" here: The Wild Feathers are a truly American band: their music takes elements of the best of rock, country, folk and blues music and reshapes it in a way that is both unique and modern. [...]

Note: For weekend one's coverage, which included write ups for Billy Joel, Dr. John, Dave Matthews Band, et al., click  here . With all the great music during  New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival , it’s good to be reminded that before the Internet, personal computer, television, radio, or even telecommunications as a whole, the city was America’s 19th- and early 20th-century capital for culture. Blues from the rural South funneled into the bustling port city. Improvisation combined with African rhythms and blue notes would turn that blues into jazz. The zeitgeist would flee to [...]

Or at least he thinks it would be pretty cool. Hell, he's Willie Nelson. He's got the hair. —Daiana Feuer

As you've probably heard, there's a new Lauryn Hill song . It sounds... well, it sounds like it was recorded in a hurry to pay off a tax bill, which is apparently exactly the case (unfortunately, the quickie release didn't save Hill from a three-month jail sentence ). The vocals and lyrics are decent enough, but the beat sounds like it was slapped together in GarageBand with deadlines in mind. Of course, Hill's not exactly the first artist to have to make a record under duress; here's a [...]

It’s time again for Friday on My Mind , our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. Earlier this week Willie Nelson celebrated his 80th birthday. 80. Willie Hugh Nelson was born either April 29th or April 30th, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. The discrepancy in date is supposedly because he was born close to midnight, so some sources list Willie's birth date as April 29. Dude loves pot, so for all we know he was born in November [...]

To celebrate his 80th birthday, the country music marijuana-toking legend tapes a fake Hobbit audition reel for Conan O'Brien. In many ways this makes perfect sense, since Gandalf was pretty much a stoned out wizard anyway. More at The Week .

Willie and Family stroll through the Great American Songbook Willie Nelson's sang from the Great American Songbook as early as 19762s The Sound in Your Mind , and with 19782s Stardust he demonstrated a unique affinity for pop standards. He continued to draw on this material for decades to come, including 19812s Over the Rainbow , 19832s Without a Song and 19882s What a Wonderful World . [...]

Before its too late I'd like to take this opportunity to wish Willie Nelson a happy 80th birthday!

ARTIST: Willie Nelson and Family - [Album] DATE: 04-30-13 REVIEW BY: Bill Adams While there's no denying that Heroes (Willie Nelson's first album back on Sony Music) and Let's Face The Music and Dance are very entertaining records, one has to wonder how long it will be before Willie Nelson – arguably one of the greatest, most celebrated and prolific [view more]

»Django’s Orchid Lounge [on Maui] is my little hideout on the ocean«, country superstar Willie Nelson writes in his 2012 memoir Roll Me Up and Smoke Me If I Die. »My brother-in-law named it Django’s Orchid Lounge since he knows how much I love Django Reinhardt. For those who don’t know, Django Reinhardt is the greatest guitar player who ever lived.« Introduced to the sound of Django by guitar teacher Paul Buskirk in 1955, Willie pays tribute to his guitar hero on his brand new album Let’s Face the Music and Dance with a fine, inspired version of [...]

• Willie Nelson - Nuages

Happy birthday Willie! Here's a full-length 2012 concert, live from Amsterdamn. What's that? You can't leave the office and go home and smoke a doob to celebrate? You have to sit there and work ? Dear god man/woman/middleperson I am so sorry. Here. Take this Willie (for it is his 80th birthday) and may he do you good. Here's him high on Larry King Live:

Willie Nelson, one of the great treasures of American music, is 80 years old today. When I was in college we listened to Willie all the time - his classic Red Headed Stranger came out when I was a junior, and we spun that one till the record was virtually unlistenable. At the time I had the impression that Willie Nelson was a favorite only in Texas or the south. It may have been mainly true about that time, but when he put out the standards collection Stardust in 1978 it was quite obvious [...]

Willie Nelson was born 80 years ago today in the small town of Abbot, Texas. This really should be a holiday. Nelson has been a Texas institution for over 50 years now. He's closely tied to our ... Continue reading "Willie Nelson Turns 80: A Tribute and Playlist for a Texas Treasure" >